Safer Internet Day 2017: how to stay safe from online spies

February 7 marks the return of Safer Internet Day 2017; a day in which companies, organisations, schools, and more join forces to promote the safe and responsible use of technology for young people.

Run by the UK Safer Internet Centre, made up of SWGfL, Childnet International and Internet Watch Foundation, the day sees hundreds of events taking part across the country. There is a host of Safer Internet Day resources available online to help you plan or take part in events and below we've listed tips on how to stay safe online:

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Start with your web browser: HTTPS Everywhere is an easy-to-install browser extension that makes sure your browser will always use encrypted web services, wherever they are available. You can also try the EFF's Privacy Badger extension, which blocks spying ads and invisible trackers.

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Protect your phone

For your phone, there are mobile apps that prevent eavesdropping: WhatsApp recently announced a collaboration with the encryption developers at Open Whisper Systems to offer built-in end-to-end encryption for the latest Android version of its hugely popular app. iOS user? Try Open Whisper Systems Signal app for encrypted voice and text messages.

Viruses, trojans, malware, worms - what's the difference?

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Another option is Confide: a purpose-built confidential texting app designed with businesses in mind – not sexting teens. It's an off-the-record messenger with end-to-end encryption and self-destructing messages. It's even got a feature to prevent "screenshots" of the displayed text. If you are really concerned about your mobile device security, you can buy the covered Blackphone, for $629(£420): it ships with custom-designed PrivatOS and has many privacy applications and services built in.

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Protect your home PC

For the home or office computer, there are a variety of software and web services which offer privacy features – the most basic of them would be a VPN or virtual private network, such as FSecure's Freedome service that encrypts all of the data as it travels from your computer to the web, even if you are using a public network, or the Wi-Fi access in an airport lounge (a notorious hotspot for cyber surveillance).

More advanced users could look into technologies and solutions like i2p (heralded by some as "the Tor alternative"), or the Tails operating system which relies on TOR (The onion router), although some have already questioned the privacy it provides. Bitlocker is a hard-drive encryption feature built into most editions of the Windows Vista, 7 and 8 OS.

Rid yourself of malware

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If you think you may have already been compromised, the Electronic Frontier Foundations offers free tools to help you. The EFF's Detekt tool scans for signs of commercial surveillance spyware known to be used by certain governments.

Two-factor authentication is a simple way to make it harder for people to break into your Facebook , Google, Twitter or Apple's iCloud accounts: you can turn it on by opting in on your profile settings, and adding a mobile number.

Wait, what? Why aren’t you using two-factor authentication yet?

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Every time you log in into one of these accounts, you will be prompted for a secondary, temporary code which will be sent only to a predefined phone number.

Choose better passwords

When it comes to choosing passwords, we all have a tendency to recycle. That's why the most popular passwords are also the ones easiest for online eavesdroppers to guess, and then use to get into your accounts. So think passphrases, not passwords. The longer the better. Here's the trick to make it memorable, and add those extra characters: choose a phrase which you know, like a motto or song lyrics. Example? "KeepCalm&CarryOn".